Super friendly service, fun hunter's lodge type setting, and cabins for rent for $99/night. They have a cool bar and pool table. Place was packed last (Friday) night. Or you can come in, like we did Sat. morning for a cup of coffee and/or hot chocolate to go.
Oh, and they also sell National Forest Adventure Passes.
Sweet Jesus, where should I start with this place? We enter the establishment, waitress to us "you are here to eat"? The man/cook in the kitchen comes out screaming at other customers telling them where to sit, gets more rude and annoyed as more people come into the restaurant. After 15 minutes our food comes out in Styrofoam plates and cups. I ordered the BLT sandwich; it was so gross I did not eat half of it. The cook/owner comes out to get our plates and asks me why I did not eat my entire sandwich since he put a "special sauce" in it.Seriously? Â As I am waiting for my friends to come back from the restroom, the cook/owner comes out with a broom and starts sweeping under my table as if I'm not even there WTF?? This place is like a bad movie that just keeps get worse, please do not go there!
Review Source:Bad. Awful. Terrible. Horrible.
Grandparents have a cabin about 1/2 mile from the Blue Jay Lodge and I grew up coming to Mt Laguna. Passed by the place  a ton of times but never stopped in. Read horrible reviews but still wanted to check it out. I so figured we'd stop in for just a drink... Big mistake!
After eating breakfast at the Tavern (wonderful), we decided to have a drink at the Blue Jay Lodge. Cute, rustic place with real potential. The place was dead at noon  on a Sunday. We were the only 4 patrons. Went to the bar and were greeted by the female bartender. She said "hello" then never shut up. She was foul and crude. Bitched about everyone who has ever walked into the place. (I wonder what will be said about us.) Within the first 20 minutes she managed to slander the stupid Chinese that dont know how to
put chains on their foreign cars, the Mexicans who don't want to pay for permits and the Gay couple who traved with their dog that she referred to as their "child". She never stopped talking!! And every word that came out was negative. She dropped the f word numerous times. Now, I'm no prude but come on now...
We ordered 2 margaritas on the rocks, their special mountain coffee special and a water.
The margaritas- served on a small, Maybe 8oz glass. Shot of Cuervo poured over ice then neon yellow mix from a plastic sparklets gallon plastic jug poured over tequila. No shaking, no stirring. Gross.
Mountain coffee- coffee and peppermint schnapps. Served in a styrofoam cup with a swizzle stick. Decent tasting and nice on this snowy day.
Water- tap water served in paper Dixie cup. Thanks.
So sad cuz this place could be great. In summary, stay away.
I just need to share my two cents on the place... Â Have been there several times for a drinks at night and pancakes in the morning when we were in the area camping. Â The pancakes were Great when in comparison it would have taken me all the time, energy, cooking, cleaning etc... Â Â
And yes when they get busy service can be a little slower. Â This isn't Denny's.. the place is Beautiful inside. Â It is a RARE unique establishment with character. Â
So it takes a little longer to get served ... so what... the reason you went to Mt. Laguna is to escape for a bit so just let go of your expectations for a second and enjoy the little extra time with your company... Â
They have also been wonderful letting our group come in an dance to their jute box. Â We have also brought our own music in and they let us dance on their dance floor.
Great place and I appreciate all the hard work it takes to keep it going up there.
-Greg
If you're going for good food, keep driving and go to the Tavern. Â But, if you're going for some late night drinks or an early morning Bloody Mary, this place is great! Â Connie was our waitress/bartender and she's awesome! Â I understand the posts about the food being overpriced for not the best quality...
If you have any musical talent whatsoever, play a little diddy on the piano while you are there! Â It's fun.
AVOID AT ALL COST!!! Absolutely the WORST experience in my life. This place has the rudest, creepiest psychopath of a man I have even encountered. My wife and I order two overpriced frozen Costco hamburgers and sat down with our 16 month old son. I asked the female waitress (friendly woman) for a booster/highchair for my son and they didn't have one, OK no problem. Once the food was ready we decided to move to another part of the restaurant so our son wouldn't bother other people who might want to order (mind it there was nobody else in the establishment to bother). Out of nowhere the weirdo owner yells at us "You can't let your kid run around" well you can all imagine what followed, I responded politely but matching his tone that I was a paying patron who asked for highchair, but they couldn't accommodate me so what did he expect me to do, after all my son is a baby and only 16 months. We had a pretty heated exchange, and I have to say I would've loved for this man to have laid just a finger one me, in order to teach him on a lesson on politeness, manners and talking about ones children. Unfortunately, I was with my wife and son and that's a side that ones father should never see. I don't need to mention the quality of the food, you can read the other reviews for that, but if you have children I STRONGLY suggest you STAY AWAY from this place. Mothers and fathers will understand where I am coming from.
Review Source:0 stars (Yelp made me choose one)...this place is a joke. As soon as we walk in the building (still can't call this place a restaurant) this old evil man grabs my daughters drink out of my wife's hand and says no outside food allowed in, its a health code issue? (WTF)...any way We ordered from the "Lunch" Menu...Grilled Cheese, Hot Dog, Hamburger or Chicken Nuggets all served with fries. All over $6.50 a plate..and a styrofoam one at that. The lady that worked there was friendly but the two men that worked there are mad at the world for something. They automatically add 15% gratuity to your bill. They don't serve you, they don't do anything to deserve this gratuity at all. Don't get me wrong this place could be a beautiful place to take your family if it was under the right management. Right now its currently under the management of someone who hates life. No joke the man yells "order up" and throws your food on a little condiment table. The chicken nuggets were Mickey Mouse shaped. I'm not 6, I like regular chicken nuggets with some sort of dipping sauce. The burger was the same one you can get at Costco. The hot dog was microwaved (seriously!) We ordered drinks and was handed bottled water and a can of sprite (Both room temp) they didn't give us a glass of ice or even offer a cold one. The room was super dark and the tables (which are pretty) aren't even straight. Our bill was $42.15 for grilled cheese/fries and a hot chocolate, hamburger/fries and a sprite, hotdog/fries with a water, nuggets with a water. If this sounds like a $40 meal to you then you're crazy (I must be cause we paid it) but honestly we went to Sizzler the day before and paid $10 more dollars on a steak dinner for 3. This place is ridiculous. And did I mention the styrofoam plates....who serves paying customers on styrofoam plates. This place!! Save your money and give it some place that appreciates the quality of food it serves its customers.
Review Source:This place is cute...but the owner (I assume he was the owner the way he screamed at his female employee) was rude, impatient and the worst person I have ever seen in the service industry. Kirklands (costco) hamburgers, hot dogs, nuggets and grilled cheese for the snow menu...I am amazed this guy is still in business.
Review Source:It would be wise to avoid the Blue Jay Lodge if you are looking for a bite to eat on your way up the mountain.
I have a number of issues with the Blue Jay Lodge:
Our group was met upon arrival by a surly gentleman in the parking lot. This attendant immediately accused our group of parking in the lot for reasons other than grabbing a bite to eat (given it was a snowy day and others may have been chaining up). Keeping the lot clear of non-customers is acceptable, however another patron had just parked (an older lady) and was not greeted in the same manner. This should have been an immediate "red flag".
Inside the lodge was quaint, however they only offered deep-fried frozen foods for sky-high prices. We did pick up a snow-day park pass here and left without ordering food.
Upon exiting the lodge we were chased out of the lot by the attendant even though we did purchase goods from the establishment. It's inexcusable to treat anyone this way, even if you are the only shop on the mountain; thankfully across the street the general store was a much more pleasant experience.
I would recommend passing this place by at all costs, lest you don't mind feeling like a criminal upon entering their establishment.
Disappointing. What I should do is place quotation marks around long segments of SZ and Gary M's reviews. The atmosphere of the restaurant is so charming. It's an "undiscovered secret," if you will...but for a good reason.
We went on a snowy President's Day, and there was one overwhelmed cook and one harried waitress, who barked at any kids who went anywhere near the bar.
They had a "snow menu" which consisted of Costco burgers, fries and chicken nuggets. Repulsed, I went to the store across the street for a microwaved bean and cheese burrito.
The rest of my party ordered lunch. They were refused tap water because it was "so busy." They were forced to order some disgusting hot chocolate which is made by reconstituting brown powder with water.
I noted that it was not that busy.
They've got to nail down some quality food and drinks, and they'll become a great destination.
im sorry can i give a 0 star for this place. Â so out on a snow day sunday with some of my friend and there family 4 adults 3 kids. we had a blast til we reach this place to stop and eat. 4 gril cheese and 2 burgers $67. you got to be kidding me the grilled s=chilled had pickles and one signal slice of chees and burnt fries . i ask for a slice of tomato on my grilled cheese and was promptly told i dont do special orders on snow days ... mind you there was only one other family in the whole place. bring a bowed lunch ...way cheaper and has to be more pleasent.
Review Source:We stopped in for lunch with another couple prior to a hike in the area. Â It is a very rustic spot with a quaint bar area with pool table. Â
The Lunch Menu was pretty sparse - and the food portions were as well. Â I ordered the BLT, which was decent, and paid the addtl $2.50 for fries...and there were seriously 10 fries on the plate. Â Our friend got the chicken nuggets - and they were "Mickey Mouse" shaped nuggets - like 6 of them on the smallest plate imaginable. Â Weird. Â
The waitress must not have talked to anyone for awhile, because we got her entire life story and even once we paid she just stood at our table talking and talking. Â Wow. Â Friendly, but Wow. Â
You can pay with credit card, but you can't split the bill with 2 credit cards. Â And you have to pay the tip in cash. Â
I recommend taking a picnic lunch rather than dropping $60 for that.
Had a nice experience here this past Saturday. There was snow on Mt. Laguna so we headed up. The place was a total ghost town with the exception of a few locals, but not surprising since there were very few tourists on the mountain that day.
The service was maybe the friendliest I've had, the interior was very charming and the food was shockingly good. I would have liked a better beer selection for sure. The fireplace wasn't burning which would have been nice because it's HUGE and it was all snowy, but we couldn't really expect them to have that thing blazing for just 5 people. Pool table was missing a ball and the sticks were bent but it didn't stop us from playing a game, drinking a Coors Light out of a can and scarfing down a juicy burger. Quite enjoyable.
They also have small cabins for rent, but I thought they were pricey at $125, especially since it was like 5pm already they still had cabins available. We would have stayed the night if the price was a little more reasonable. Better to rent for less and get some money on a slow night than leave them empty.
So sad. Â What incredible potential this place has: Â A wonderful location on the top of Mt. Laguna, a degree of warmth and charm on the inside with rustic decor that can be admired for a long while, and friendly, enjoyable service, too. Â It would be and should be a terrific destination location for a nice lunch or enjoyable evening meal -- but it ain't.
Instead what it is, unfortunately, is a grand attempt at a tourist lure offering only atmosphere along with very low quality food at eye-gouging prices.
Dear Doctors: Â PLEASE rethink your business model. Â If you had a decent menu with enjoyable food at even slightly reasonable prices your business would bloom. Â As it is, well, all those in my group vowed never to return.
Frankly, it's insulting to pay such a lofty tab and get snack bar food. Â And that is NO exaggeration.
I'm sure the people who originally built and decorated the place (and did an absolutely amazing job) painfully wince at  what it's become.
Two generous stars -- one for the decor and one for the service. Â I would have liked to tip our waitress more because she deserved it, but was too wounded to do so after paying the exorbitant bill.
This place is CHARMING with a capital CHARM. The rustic interior is gorgeous and the fireplace makes you wish it were 20 degrees and snowing.
But oh my. Although there is a full bar the beer selection is limited to a handful of canned domestics. Yikes! Â This is the perfect setting for an ice cold brew and while I can understand not having beer on tap due to the limited hours (closed weekdays) I can't understand such a limited variety. If the theme is all-American, well, OK, but toss in some Rolling Rock or Sam Adams! And please, for the love of all that is good and holy: Bottles.
As for the menu, it is limited but serviceable with a quality product.
Very friendly!
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